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A review by emilyisoverbooked
Black Skinhead: Reflections on Blackness and Our Political Future by Brandi Collins-Dexter
3.0
Thanks to Celadon Books for the copy of this ARC.
“This is the thing about how our narratives are often taken from us and reinterpreted. We are stripped of our voices even when telling the stories of our own lives, families, and histories. We’re told we’ve never had anything, which plays into public pathologies of Black people as having not done enough to improve our own station in life, when the reality is many of us were actively deprived of property ownership and economic opportunities. But even when your mind doesn’t know, your body does. Those memories of fear and struggle live in your body for generations.”
This collection of essays is so unique, focusing on politics from a Black perspective and interwoven with the author’s own personal coming of age story. With many pop culture references and explorations of the world around her, Brandi Collins-Dexter explores the relationship between Black voters and the Democratic Party, and what the political future of Black voters looks like. This wasn’t totally what I expected, but I really appreciate how Brandi wrote this book to read well. Her story makes for a vibrant read while also addressing a difficult perspective that many (myself included) need to hear.
“This is the thing about how our narratives are often taken from us and reinterpreted. We are stripped of our voices even when telling the stories of our own lives, families, and histories. We’re told we’ve never had anything, which plays into public pathologies of Black people as having not done enough to improve our own station in life, when the reality is many of us were actively deprived of property ownership and economic opportunities. But even when your mind doesn’t know, your body does. Those memories of fear and struggle live in your body for generations.”
This collection of essays is so unique, focusing on politics from a Black perspective and interwoven with the author’s own personal coming of age story. With many pop culture references and explorations of the world around her, Brandi Collins-Dexter explores the relationship between Black voters and the Democratic Party, and what the political future of Black voters looks like. This wasn’t totally what I expected, but I really appreciate how Brandi wrote this book to read well. Her story makes for a vibrant read while also addressing a difficult perspective that many (myself included) need to hear.